Any doubt about B1G POTY and COTY?

Hard to see Nik and Coach B not winning Player and Coach of the Year in the B1G, respectively. With us likely to have a 2-game margin of victory in the final standings, I don't think voters could rationalize any other candidates.

POTY: Who if not Nik now, who has clearly overcome that mid-season mini-slump. Last night's game felt like a coronation for him. Harris is the best player on Staee and has had some good games (his 31 against us stands out to me), but given how Staee has plummeted, no way he wins. Sconie is a two-headed horse; Dekker and Kaminsky are both very good, but neither is really all that better than the other, so they sort of cancel each other out. Petteway at UNL has had a great year but is he really going to overtake Nik? Of course, I leave off Craft, who clearly is the best player in the country, according to Dan Dakich.

COTY: Only Tim Miles at UNL would seem to have any kind of possible claim to this title. But with us blowing out the field, given all we've lost, clearly Coach B is going to win this award.*

* Although it remains true that Izzo, without a doubt, did the best coaching job in the conference this year. Have you seen the injuries they've had to overcome? At various points this season, they had in their starting lineup: (1) their women's team; (2) three walk-ons, a student manager, and a cheerleader, (3) Max Bullough -- unaided by dietary supplements; and (4) his unborn great-grandchild. In fact, of his 14 scholarship players, he's had 23 scholarship players hospitalized this season -- yes, even players who don't play for him. And yet, they have overcome all of that! Amazing job, Izzo, just... you aren't going to win.

There are several national coach of the year awards given out, and while sometimes a coach sweeps them all, it's more common for two or more to split them. I could see Beilein winning at least one of them, perhaps the one awarded by the NABC given how respected he is in the coaching community.

Beilein is certainly not going to win that. I'm thinking Tony Bennett from Virginia. WSU season's was amazing to say the least, but I don't know a soul who thought Virginia would have such an incredible season and take the ACC regular season crown (or even compete for it for that matter).

No Dakish wasnt joking when he said Craft should win B1G Player of the Decade. In fact, I think he's a tremendously deserving candidate given the high level he's been playing at for Ohio State for these past 10 years.

I am so glad Craft is done after this season. Not only do M fans hate him, but I think college basketball fans in general cannot stand that kid. He's just so annoyingly good on defense. Too bad for him he shoots like a chick.

I think he was saying people would be surprised that he wasn't voting for Craft for player of the decade, insinuating that he loves Craft. He went on to say he has not been good offensively, which is why he wouldn't include him in the All B1G team.

Though Petteway is in there as well. Marble has somewhat similar numbers in B1G play, lower scoring effiency, but is also their primary defender I believe. Iowa has struggled lately though, which may hamper his case.

I don't see the argument where the OP said that Nik was clearly better than Harris, just that he deserved POY over him. Harris has his own problems, including consistency, but his upside is really high, he has a nice pure shot, athletic enough to get to the bucket, and rebounds well. He's just not as consistent as Nik (who hasn't always been consistent), and that's why he's not in the conversation over Nik, as the OP basically said (combined with MSU's downward trend to close the season).

I think you're right about Stauskas, Levert, and Walton, but I'm not seeing Robinson on the first team, and I can't imagine there aren't more deserving freshmen at Irvin's spot, given his spare minutes.

I just meant any All-Big Ten team for Robinson. I would guess Stauskas is on the 1st team, LeVert on the 2nd and Robinson on the 3rd. I was trying to come up with who would deserve it more than Irvin but am struggling. I just don't see 5 other freshman that have put up better numbers than Irvin, especially when you consider the limited minutes he has played this year.

While I agree Irvin deserves to make the team: 6 Freshman have won the B1G Freshman of the Week: Irvin, Walton, Noah Vonleh (IU), Bryson Scott (Pur), Kendrick Nunn (Ill), Nigel Hayes (UW). If the conference tries to reward as many teams as possible, Irvin might be the odd man out.

And don't forget about Basil Smotherman, I'm pulling for him as a darkhorse because I always root to see that name anywhere /s

For the women's all–Big Ten teams announced earlier this week, the conference changed from naming first, second, and third teams of five players each to naming just a first and second team each consisting of ten players. I'm assuming they'll do the same for the men, so this is something to consider when predicting who'll be on the first team.

I'll grant that men's college players are probably criticized too harshly, given they are young and (usually) having to attend college classes. Commentary on women's sports in general swings far to the other side, with virtually no criticism of players or coaches. Imagine Dick Vitale calling a women's game, it would be sensational.

Next year there will be 15 players on the first team for women's hoops.

One media person I asked about this was unaware of any change to the men's all–Big Ten teams, so my assumption that the men's teams would be set up like the women's teams may have been a bad one. I guess we'll find out for sure on Monday.

If anyone's wrapped up B1G COTY it's Miles. U-M was picked 2nd and took 1st; Nebraska was picked last and might get 4th. Folks with maize and blue glasses assuming Beilein's a lock for B1G COTY are probably going to be very disappointed.

Really? I seem to remember pretty much every analyst saying UM was an NIT type team after Mitch went down, along with many UM fans. And here I was gonna say Tony Bennett deserves National COY over JB, but you ruined that :) (kidding obviously).

In all seriourness, I would be shocked if Beilein doesn't win Big Ten COY, UM fan or not. With that said, if Nebraska wins at IU and beats Wisconsin at home, I will certainly admit I was wrong and agree with you. Nebraska had a very favorable Big Ten schedule as they only had to play MSU, Wisconsin and Iowa one time.

The McGary aspect is a good point, considering the preseason predictions were made with his presence assumed.

Problem is, the media has already latched onto to Sparty as the injury narrative team.

Still, the award almost always seems to go to whoever outpaces preseason expectations the most. Izzo will get the overcoming-injury vote (I know this is stupid, I'm just saying) and Miles will get the overachieved-expectations vote. I would honestly not be blown away to see Beilein come in third.

You make a solid case for Miles and a good point about injuries/Izzo. I remember back before Big Ten play started where Kenpom had predicted Nebraska would lose every conference game. The fact that they have a chance to finish with a winning record in conference play is extremely impressive.

The media isn't as bad as you paint it to be, and most will take into account the changed expectations mid-season, shown in the above. I think Izzo will get little consideration for coach of the year. And I think finishing 1st instead of 6th trumps finishing 5th instead of 10th.

MSU basketball fans employ the same arrogance they accuse us of having. When they lose it's because they were injured, the refs sucked etc. I knew they were overrated at 2 when their cast of current players hasn't made it past a sweet 16. It's great to see Izzo having a late career collapse.

If Nebraska wins the next two games, it's going to be hard to beat Tim Miles. Beilein has had to overcome a bunch (2 first round draft picks, 1 preseason All American) this year, but doing what Tim Miles has done at what has been a basketball tire fire in Nebraska will earn a lot of (derserved) recognition. Should be close.

I think Harris and Marble will be challengers for POTY. I think a pretty equal case can be made for any of these three.

Harris has mostly single-handedly carried that heap of a team to a 2nd or 3rd place finish. Despite Izzo's annoying complaints about his team's injuries, they actually have had a lot of injuries and they've really had to lean on Harris.

I think Beilein has a good case for B1G coach of the year, but if I take off my Maize and Blue glasses, I have to give it to Miles. He's only in his second year there and he's taken that program to the next level. They were picked to finish last in the conference, I think.

Did anyone see Trey's comment about Stauskas' being the PoY? Some idiot MSU slappy replied and said something about Gary Harris should be the PoY. Of course, though, Michigan fans (including myself) let that jackass have it.

Gary Harris is a high volume, low efficient player. No way does he deserve POY. IMO, he should not even be mentioned. One person above nailed it on the head... The guy is hitting 41.7% from the field and 34.7% from 3's. How in the hell does that get you player of the year unless your Dikembe Mutumbo defensively?

If Gary Harris got player of the year, it is a complete travesty. Payne is way more important to that team than Gary Harris.

* ADD * and i would pay to punch Valentine between those split teeth. Wannabee trash talking thug. There, my anger is out for the day. Back to work :)

I think Miles might deserve it if he gets NU to the tourney, though even then it shouldn't be a slam dunk.

If they don't make it...I mean, good for them for being not terrible, but it's hard to say you've done the best coaching job ever when your team isn't even one of the 68 best in the nation. In that situation, you'd have to think Beilein deserves it over Miles, cuz he turned a McGary injured 4 loss team into outright Big Ten champs. Gotta be worth something. Plus the guys been coaching his butt off for 3 years now, give him his due please.

For an alternate viewpoint from all the Miles love in this thread, see this Rod Beard piece: Michigan's John Beilein, Nik Stauskas vie for conference's top honors. I'm guessing Beard might have some insight into who has the inside track on both awards, and he seemed pretty positive about Beilein's chances. He mentioned Bo Ryan as another candidate, before saying that Miles "will get some consideration."

Nebraska will finish the conference at .500. That's great but COY isn't solely based on "performance versus expectation" it's also based on end results. When you win league championships you get the inside tracks for these accolades and rightfully so.

Also, Izzo has only 2 outright COY awards in the B1G so this one needs to get to JB so he can pass Izzo in a couple more seasons.

More than 25 minutes per game and a usage of approxiamately 20% or higher

team

player

ort

usg

min/gm

IA

Aaron White

125.5

19.8

31.2

WIS

Frank Kaminsky

125.3

24.7

25.6

MICH

Nik Stauskas

122.2

22.8

36.1

WIS

Sam Dekker

119.8

21.9

31.2

IN

Yogi Ferrell

116.4

26.9

36.1

IA

Roy Devyn Marble

116.0

28.1

32.9

MIN

Andre Hollins

114.4

23.4

31.1

MSU

Gary Harris

113.6

28.0

34.9

OSU

LaQuinton Ross

113.5

28.5

29.9

MICH

Caris LeVert

113.1

21.5

35.5

Kaminsky has been a more effecient scorer than Stauskas and with a higher usage. Ferrell, Marble, Harris and Ross have usages that are so much higher than Stauskas's usage that they should probably be put in a different table. (don't compare ortg accross usages, see the first note here)

Ferrell, Marble, Stauskas or Kaminsky would all be deserving of the award, though Stauskas's platform is essentially best offensive player on the best team.

As for coach of the year I have no idea how they pick those, but if you can go undefeated and win a national title in your second year with a football program and not win your conferences coach of the year award then it is probably not the sort of thing a reasonable person should spend much time trying to figure out. I'd vote Bo Ryan because he seems to be the only coach in the conference that has figured out that you should try to limit your opponents 3pt attempts.